Chosen by God

Rating:
Summary: Five Stars
Review: ***** The most contraversial issue among Christians might not be predestination, but that is certainly one of the main ones. When God began His plans for the world, did He randomly choose some to find salvation through the grace of Christ, or is it all up to us? In this mini-book, the author carefully spells out the three dominant views held by Christians, Augustine's, Pellagianism, and semi-Pellagianism. Though the third is the most dominant view, that does not necessarily make it the true one. Even if you go into this book by holding fast to a contrary belief, before the last page closes, you will find yourself having to consider the other side. Though brief, each word packs a tremendous punch and gives readers much to think about, even too much. *****
Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

Rating:
Summary: Good, not great.
Review: When I first went through the material of this book, I had a crisis of faith that nearly killed me (literally). I had never been taught about this doctrine in my Southern Baptist church so it really hit me hard. I found myself viewing God as a "Cosmic Sadist" (to use C.S. Lewis's term) who toyed with His creation the way a child uses a magnifying glass to burn ants. I couldn't conceive of how a good God could create a person in need of redemption, wilfully deny that person the redemption he needs and cannot attain on his own, and then send them to a place of unending torment because the person wasn't redeemed. That smacked of evil to me. So I railed against God, felt betrayed by Him, and basically told Him the friendship was off. I went down a long path of misery that culminated in an alcohol-related car accident that nearly took my life. Now, obviously, that isn't the fault of Dr. Sproul or his book. But the chain of events did begin when I read this book (which is a poor reflection on me and my stubborn, sinful ways). After the accident, I had a lot of time to sit and ponder and I eventually came back to God. I now fully agree with everything that's been written in this book and Dr. Sproul is one of my favorite Bible teachers (even if his videos cost too much!) And I'm a Presbyterian now, which I know would make him happy! But I think a better explanation of this doctrine can be found in John Piper's "The Pleasures of God". Only after reading his explanation could I hold onto the doctrines of election and predestination AND still affirm that God is indeed good. Still, "Chosen by God" is a good introduction as long as you don't misinterpret its message like I did.

Rating:
Summary: A work of brilliance
Review: This is a book of extremely deep insight, and yet very chatty and readable and easy to understand. Even for a long term Reformed Christian it offers depth of insight that you probably havn't come across before. It's not a work of deep exegesis, but it is a work of deep thought. And yet it's also an excellent introduction to Reformed theology. You'll want more than one copy of this one, because you'll be lending it out but not getting it back! The book is a paradox - essential for the entrenched Calvinist, and yet perfect as an introduction - a must buy!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read to be informed about Reformed Theology
Review: In this book, Sproul gives an excellent overview of Calvinism and basic Reformed theology. He carefully and systematically articulates the five Doctrines of Grace with Scripture, and at the same time, clears up any misconception of Calvinism the reader might have. I love how he doesn't just give the Calvinistic view, but also touches on Arminian views, thoughts and objections as well. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the Doctrines of Grace and Reformed theology because Sproul gives a great, articulated overview of it in this book. I feel this book is also edifying to the believers who subscribe to Calvinism because, as a subscriber to Calvinism myself, it helped further clarify and solidify my own theology.

Rating:
Summary: Not The Final Word
Review: Despite Dr. Sproul's rather conclusory language, "Chosen By God" is not the final word on the free will debate. Before reaching any conclusions on this issue, I urge readers to consult Dr. Norman Geisler's "Chosen But Free" and Dr. Robert Shank's "Elect in the Son." Dr. Spoul's book was the first that I read when I became troubled with the issue of predestination. However, I feel that his treatment was inadequate and at times even disingenuous. My main concern with "Chosen By God" is Dr. Sproul tendency to seize upon certain verses that could be interpreted to support his view and proceed to use those few verses to interpret other verses that suggest a contrary conclusion. In my opinion, there are numerous verses throughout the Old and New Testaments that rather explicitly pronounce that God has given man the responsibility to choose to accept His saving grace. Dr. Sproul often dismisses these verses with a wave of the hand or ignores them outright. I think Drs. Geisler and Shank treat the issue of divine sovereignty and human freedom with more credibility than Dr. Sproul has in "Chosen By God."

Rating:
Summary: Encouraging and pertinent reminder of God's election!
Review: I have never been so encouraged in my faith as I was after reading this book. So many awesome points were made that it left me speechless! I was so happy to finally found an evangelical teacher who agrees with the doctrine that seems to spring forth from the New Testament. This book will uplift and encourage anyone who is unsure whether they are 'saved' or not.

Rating:
Summary: A Super-Duper Introduction
Review: The church has been blessed by R.C. Sproul's introduction to predestination. Chosen By God is an explanation of Sproul's change from an arminian perspective to a calvinistic one. Through this journey, Sproul covers various - and difficult - topics that are associated with predestination as presented in the Bible. Such topics include the meaning of human freedom, what is being reborn (regeneration), what does it mean to fall in Adam, etc. More difficult questions that Sproul attempts to tackle are like, "isn't God being unfair for only presdestining some people, as opposed to every single person?" Other issues that are indirectly connected are raised as well, such as "can I know that I am saved" are covered. One thing that you will not find discussed in much depth is the ever-controversial point, "L" - limited atonement / particular redemption.

Over all, this is an excellent *introduction*. This book simply is not an exhaustive study on any one of the points of Calvinism; furthermore, it does not deal with the deep philosophical questions associated with Calvinism. But look, you have to start studying the issue somewhere. You don't start doing math by first learning the quadratic formula and then afterwards try learning binary sets. Likewise, you don't begin reading about deep questions regarding Newcomb's paradox and fatalism and such, but start with books like this. So, for an introduction, this is a great place to begin. I have disagreements with Sproul on what Calvinism entails, but those are more academic / philosophical in character. Therefore, if you don't know much about Calvinism, start here, then work your way up the ladder.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Good Book that's Close to Being Great
Review: RC Sproul wrote this book some time ago now, but it is still a standard text for understanding the reformed doctrine of predestination and probably will be for some time. There are a number of compelling strengths of this book which make the book worthy of purchase, but it is a book that could have been improved in a couple of ways as well.

This book is a very smooth read. The book is about 200 pages, and I read the whole thing in about a six hour timespan. The book flowed very well from chapter to chapter, and as a reader, I found myself almost gliding through the material, not because it's watered down, but because the writing style is so smooth. Because of this, I think this book might well be the best beginner level book on predestination available, because it allows a reader who is interested in a difficult doctrine but not well versed in theologeze or doctrinal debates the ability to grapple with this doctrine in a meaningful way without getting lost or bogged down.

Having cited the above strength, however, I want to make clear that this book does indeed deal substantively with this doctrine in a way that more experienced readers will find profitable. Sproul effectively takes on the contemporary views concerning free will. In particular, he eloquently demonstrates that the popular view of equating free will with autonomy is utterly absurd on every level. In addition, he does a good exegetical job of dealing with a number of passages in Scripture that relate to this topic.

While these strengths commend the book nicely and make it a very good read, I thought the book could have been improved. In my view, Sproul does not effectively deal with the 'fatalism' objection. As Sproul mentions in his chapter on objections, it is difficult to thoroughly deal with these objections without writing whole treatises on them. But the objection of fatalism is perhaps the most serious objection to Reformed theology and to this doctrine in particular. In my view, anyone writing a book on the Reformed doctrine of predestination has to know that this objection is the single biggest reaction against the doctrine, and as such, any book that attempts to meaningfully deal with the doctrine has to substantively interact with this objection. Sproul does not, and it is a weakness of the book.

Sproul's discourse on the role of evangelism, given the Reformed view of predestination, was also too sparse. Sproul's argumentation basically boils down to saying that evangelism is necessary only by divine fiat, as opposed to a more developed Reformed view. Lastly, Sproul's treatment of the problem of evil also could have been a bit better. But again, in these kind of theological discussions, it's hard to separate the problem of evil from the objection of fatalism. If one isn't effectively dealt with, the chances are that the other won't be either.

So while I recognize that my criticisms of the book may seem harsh, I still want to stress that this book is very good because although it has its weaknesses, its strengths are formidable and informative, and are worthy of consideration and reflection.

Rating:
Summary: A MUST for the Bookshelf of Every Pastor and Teacher
Review: Sproul's classic work should be found on the bookshelf of every pastor and/or teacher. Regardless if one's position is Calvinistic or not, this book provides a classic, timeless defense of five-point Calvinism. Sproul's arguments are persuasive and biblically based, so staunch Arminians will face a formidable challenge.

Sproul begins by sharing his own personal struggle as a former-Arminian (advocate of free-will salvation). He then relates that as he studied the Bible more intensely, he learned that it is more important for us to believe what the Scriptures SAY rather than what we would LIKE for them to say. Sproul didn't savor the prospect of being a Calvinist (advocate of predestined salvation), but moved to that stance because of the biblical support for it.

The author address each of the five points of Calvinism:
Total depravity of man
Unconditional election
Limited atonement
Irresistible grace
Perseverance of the saints

Sproul gives special attention to the "total depravity" of man, renaming it "radical corruption." He modifies other points of the well-known "TULIP" acrostic, using more accurate terms where necessary. He closes his book by offering responses to commonly raised questions regarding the Reformed (Calvinistic) position.

This book is a definite MUST READ for pastors and teachers. I am unaware of any other volume that defines so clearly and concisely the Reformed position. Buy it, read it and grow in your understanding of Reformed theology!

Rating:
Summary: reformed success
Review: i am very pleased witht the way that r.c. sproul has presented the reformed view in a society in which people want nothing more than to control their own fates. i have three main points with which i am pleased:

1. dr. sproul is very thorough and concise, as he always is, in his addressing the five points of calvinism. he presented them completely and correct, e.g. his having altered tulip and made rudep.

2. he presents opposing views and in an scholarly and kind manner he shows their fatal flaw. this seems to come like second nature to dr. sproul b/c he has obviously had some training in philosophy and logic.

and 3. sproul addresses the fact that if you hold to the non-reformed view and yet you agree with total depravity.... you lose the whole argument.

all in all i am extremely pleased; both as a calvinist and as a thinker.